


Dangling

by UnapologeticallyMeatwad



Category: Shoujo Kakumei Utena | Revolutionary Girl Utena
Genre: Alternate Universe - Real World, Climate Change, Empty Movement Discord Monthly Writing Prompt, Environmentalism, F/F, Nonviolent Direct Action, Post canon, Protests, References to Utena Turning into a Car, Utena and Anthy Find Each Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-21
Updated: 2020-06-21
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:02:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,444
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24841987
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UnapologeticallyMeatwad/pseuds/UnapologeticallyMeatwad
Summary: Utena and Anthy find each other in this new world at a climate protest.
Relationships: Himemiya Anthy/Tenjou Utena
Kudos: 17





	Dangling

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt is Socialist Radicalized Girl Utena AU, and tbh is there any other?
> 
> CW: police, minor police violence

Utena is getting kind of bored up here — well, that feels  _ mean _ , she _ should _ be excited, she’s participating in a rad climate protest! It’s tangible and real, never would have done this at Ohtori. It would be a revolution protest or something. So Utena  _ should _ be pumped up because she’s been dangling off a bridge for four hours now with at least twenty more to go.

Utena is volunteering with some environmental org, she doesn’t really know the one they just called her out of the blue asking for volunteers, and she of course picked the most gnarly thing she could. Utena really doesn’t know all that much about this group beyond the fact that they do gnarly things every now and then. 

But Utena trusts the things they ask their people to do make sense. This action should work, and Utena has nothing better to do, so she might as well land a hand and grapple from a bridge.

This action she is at is protesting fossil fuel companies by blocking one of their prime canals. Utena and nine other activists, outfitted in heavy climbing gear, dangle off of a bridge hanging over the cancel, creating an impassable human curtain. No oil transport can safely get through with a human blockade in place, meaning no oil is coming out for the next day or so. Apparently, they need this oil today so it’s a big deal.

Again — this is super cool, and hopefully really effective, but after four hours pass by so does the initial rush and now Utena is just hanging off a bridge, waiting for the organizers to either radio in that they’re good to climb back up, or for the police to make a big fucking deal out of arresting all of them for some stupid made-up reason.

At this point, Utena might as well be back at her shitty apartment, staring at the ceiling like she always does; it’s the same kind of interaction. See, Utena doesn’t have any _ one  _ to talk to or any _ thing _ to talk about. Unlike all the other activists here, Utena is from a different world:

A world where teenagers defend the planet. A world where black roses can bring out the worst in someone. A world where people can inexplicably be turned into fitting visual metaphors — like cars. Utena was a car once. She thinks it was a metaphor gone wrong or something, or maybe God was just fucking with her that day. But she did go  _ vroom! vroom!  _

Utena remembers all of it. Every day, every moment, every face. It’s all there. She wouldn’t mind honestly, if it weren’t for Anthy. Anthy, well, Utena would rather forget. That ship sailed a long time ago, but still, Utena can’t stop thinking about her.

She wishes Anthy were here.

Utena kicks out her feet, marveling at the shimmering blue waters below. A crowd has been gathering on-and-off since about three hours ago, and a news crew is present. The organizers suggested not to look at the camera people, something to do with disrupting your mindset, so she tries to ignore that part of it. She tries to think about… Anthy? Ugh. No, that’s definitely worse.

Dimly, she wonders if anyone can recognize her up here. Her pink hair is definitely a giveaway — apparently, people on Earth aren’t born with pink hair — but it’s all wrapped up underneath her helmet so she just looks like the other activists. Probably better that way. Not like anyone on Earth would recognize her anyways. To the Earthlings, Utena is just some scrappy fool who is really good at fencing — which ultimately is an inconsequential talent on this planet when you can’t pull swords from people’s chests.

Utena cranes her neck to the right and sees most of the other climbers just hanging there, gently rocking to and fro in their harness. She thinks they might be meditating. She’s jealous; meditating just isn’t her thing.

* * *

At the end of the twenty four hour period, the cops come in to arrest Utena and the others. Pigs.

Something something civil disobedience or whatever, apparently —this— is a felony? It’s definitely not, but she’s okay with the pigs saying whatever it is that will make them feel better about themselves. They must be pretty sad, pathetic people if they wanted so badly to be cops. Hell, Utena pities cops more than she does fools like Akio.

Either way, Utena was promised she’d get a good lawyer if needed. At the first meeting for this action, a bunch of pro-bono defense attorneys were there. So if Utena does go to jail for some fucking reason, she doesn’t think she’ll be in jail for very long. 

The pigs yank her helmet off pretty hard, not realizing it’s hooked to her bunched up hair. She yelps and squirms to break free from those velcro straps and eventually she’s free of that hold, possibly with a few less hairs on her head than before.

But now she’s got handcuffs pinning her wrists to the small of her back, as if the nonviolent activist is going to try to pull something on these fools. Tsk tsk.

Utena sighs and marches along with the other activists into the police cars.

When Utena’s hair flops back behind her ears, she locks eye with someone familiar. A girl with dark skin, violet hair and round glasses stares back at her, blinking. 

“ _ Himemiya? _ ” Utena asks without thinking.

Utena’s heart stops for a moment. She moves forward to say something, but the pigs grab her by the chest and shove her into the cruiser. She doesn’t even get a second glance to confirm what she’s thinking, she’s just ferried away to some holding cell. Of all the shitty ass rotten luck.

With, if it really was Anthy, Utena is probably better off not talking to them. Ancient history and all that.

Agh.

It’s like fiction, these moments. Where else would such a chance encounter occur? Not in real life, that’s for sure. Utena curses Ohtori for whatever it’s done to make her reality so dramatic and rife with irony.

* * *

There’s a protest in front of the police station waiting for the activists and Utena when they are finally released a few days later. The more old school volunteers Utena dangled with don’t even hesitate, they immediately step into the protest and pick up spare signs, shifting right into the chants. 

Utena would chant with them, but she doesn’t even know what the chant is. She hears the sounds but can’t quite parse them into actual words. It’s too much commotion at once for her to focus. Really, she’s tired. She’s sure her hair is frayed and dry, the bags under her eyes more exaggerated than usual, her clothes sweaty and ugh. She feels like shit. She really just wants to go home.

If Utena wanted — she  _ could  _ take advantage of her fatigue and use it as her out, or at the very least as an excuse to ignore Anthy Himemiya who is staring straight at her, a very beautiful sign with gorgeous illustrations painted onto it held high in the air. Her voice is loud, in-sync with the other protesters. Utena wonders if Anthy is here for her, or if she’s here for the movement.

Utena blinks; she’s not here for herself. She used to do this because she needed something to do, something to keep her busy, something to make herself feel better but now she’s here because she’s serious and wants to see something happen. Today, she is most certainly not the only activist ever tossedi into captivity for no good reason.

Utena frowns and steps in front of Anthy, blinking slowly, trying to find some imperfectation in what is surely a projection, something that would make it possible for this to all be chalked up as coincidence. But it’s most certainly Anthy. Her Anthy.

Anthy doesn’t seem to know what to do or how to respond, so her shaking hands stay high. Utena just stands in front of her with bad posture, hands in her pockets. What’s appropriate here?

Anthy makes the decision for her and nods over to a friend, whoa, an actual friend, some normie not from Ohtori. Anthy has  _ friends _ ; how long has she been on Earth?

The friend passes Utena a sign before patting her on the back and shifting back into the crowd. Utena squeezes in besides Anthy standing close. 

“Can you tell me what the chant is?” Utena asks quietly. “It’s so loud, I can’t tell.”

Anthy grins mischievously and leans in to Utena’a ear, whispering the words.

Ah, here we go again.


End file.
